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What Is Time Magazine's View Of The Death Penalty

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Introduction to Time Magazine’s “The Death of the Death Penalty”
The controversy surrounding capital punishment goes back for thousands of years. As far back as the 18th Century BC, the Code of King Hammurabi codified the death penalty for 25 specific crimes (Reggio). Since that time, every generation has dealt with passionate arguments on both sides of the issue and ours is no exception. Despite being liberal in most of my views, I am a supporter of capital punishment in cases of heinous crimes. In order to reflect on an opposing view, I settled on the following Time magazine article to read, consider and evaluate: “The Death of the Death Penalty” by David Von Drehle.
The article is exceptionally well organized. Following an overview of the …show more content…

Advances in DNA have exonerated many prisoners, but have also revealed that innocent people had been executed. Between bungled executions, an over-burdened appeals system, and the considerable rate of wrongful convictions, Von Drehle’s assertion that the U.S. doesn’t apply the death penalty well is on point.
His second argument is that the crime rate has plunged. When crime is high, public support for the death penalty is strong, but in times of relative calm, public opinion does not favor the death penalty. When public support fades, the courts are less likely to sentence criminals to death. Judges need support to remain in office, and flying in the face of what is popular does not garner votes.
His third point is that there is no longer a need to execute someone since we have practical alternatives that earlier generations did not. One of the foremost points in support of capital punishment is that certain criminals are so dangerous that they have to be securely isolated from any possible contact with society. Earlier prisons and jails were not suitable for long-term housing, but with technological advances available today, we can house prisoners in secure facilities without putting others at …show more content…

While I support the death penalty for heinous crimes, in theory, I can see that the actual practice is not as neat and clean as I imagined. While I do believe that there are people who should never be allowed back into society – monsters along the lines of Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, and John Wayne Gacy – I also concede that the flaws in the current system, including the very real possibility of wrongful executions and the disproportionate manner in which justice is meted out, outweigh my need to see these people die. This is certainly an issue that requires much more investigation on my part and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to explore this

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